Telehealth refers to any remote telecommunications healthcare providers use to interact with and manage patients. It can range from teleconferencing between patient and provider (or provider to provider) to advanced “high-quality online voice and video interactions” with a patient’s EHR, enabling healthcare providers and patients to interact with each other remotely. Properly implemented, telehealth can expand access and reduce costs of healthcare.

For example, patients with mobile devices can monitor and report on their own vital signs and manage treatment, eliminating the need for a trip to the doctor’s office. This process can save time and money for both the patient and the healthcare provider. Another example, in Arizona, makes use of telemedicine to link patients living outside of an area with stroke experience with qualified healthcare providers.

Scientists with the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) have developed tools that expand the use of ultrasound during spaceflight and on Earth, especially in rural and underserved locations.

Lockheed Martin and Carroll Technologies Group partnered to offer a new wireless, through-the-earth communications system designed specifically to help the mining industry improve post-accident emergency communications.

Innovative tools and data that federal health agencies have released to the public can help healthcare providers meet meaningful use of electronic health records, says Todd Park, chief technology officer for the Department of Heath and Human Services. Speaking to an audience at the Government Health IT Conference on June 15, Park offered several examples.

Natural disasters are hitting the U.S. and abroad more often, it seems. In an attempt to connect after disasters hit, family, friends, rescuers, relief agencies, healthcare workers and others have turned to social media – which one expert says is the right tool for the job.

Unified communications (UC), which has become a hot issue among IT leaders and administrators, has recently been bolstered by video – and the "prognosis for its use in healthcare appears to hold promise," says one expert.

A new report from Ambient Insight shows that the U.S. corporate market for self-paced e-learning products and services reached $6.8 billion in 2010, and projects that revenues will reach $7.1 billion by 2015.

Virtua, the largest comprehensive healthcare system in Southern New Jersey, announced Wednesday it is offering a free online personal health record – one that its founder calls a "hybrid PHR" – to consumers living in the three counties that it serves.

CSC announced the launch of its Global Institute for Emerging Healthcare Practices Monday with the mission of monitoring worldwide trends, conducting regional and multi-country studies, and evaluating emerging operational practices and technologies such as telemedicine that have the potential to improve performance of healthcare industries around the world.

Learn how the University of Pennsylvania’s Health System transformed its information system via digitization. What started as an intention to reduce the paper load generated by a single patient visit, turned into a comprehensive overhaul of the hospital’s medical and financial records. The end result? Dramatically increased efficiencies across all departments. Learn More

Healthcare financial accounts are becoming the first line in consumer-driven healthcare interaction. Health plans that don't offer health spending accounts are missing out on the critical early consumer interaction that drives loyalty. Learn about key trends and important changes in health spending accounts and health plan administration, and find out how health plans and TPAs scope and implement the right solutions for themselves and their customers. Learn More

The explosion of mobile health and advances in medical technology has been accompanied by a parallel increase in acute-care complexity and coordination challenges. Today, test results, x-rays and even snapshots of wounds can be shared among clinicians in less time than it takes to go from one hospital floor to another, and patients are being treated by an increasing array of specialists – thanks to the flexibility of mobile health technology. Learn More

Health information exchanges (HIEs) have tremendous potential value for measuring population health and promoting health improvement. Hixny, a RHIO with high HIE adoption, School of Public Health, University at Albany and the New York State Department of Health conducted a pilot project to evaluate this potential for achieving goals for hypertension control in the Million Hearts Initiative. This presentation will report on results. Learn More

Memorial Hermann's expansion into the health insurance business is a key component to realizing its new vision to "advance health." Hear how this health system overcame challenges and took advantage of opportunities on its journey to develop value-added health plans and employer solutions. Learn More

Join Hospital Physician Partners’ CIO, Data Architect, and Senior BI Analyst as they take you through a journey of their rapid analytics deployment on the Microsoft BI Platform with Pyramid Analytics, allowing them to turn "mountains of data" into "insights." Additionally, HPP implemented the solution so that the new insights would be delivered in an easy-to-use, and intuitive self-service framework for its business and care delivery personnel. Learn More

The point-of-care technology plays pivotal role in improving care, reducing cost and enhancing patient experience, such as eliminating unnecessary steps and re-work, and offloading selected testing and self-monitoring capabilities to home setting for patient self-management. This session provides an overview of trends and best practices in point-of-care technology, as well as challenges in applying point-of-care technology. Learn More

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2015 H.I.T. Men & Women Awards

The top three vote-getters across three categories will be honored at the H.I.T. Men & Women ceremony, sponsored by awards co-founder Emids, during the 2015 HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition at McCormick Place in Chicago.

As Joseph Kvedar, MD, has traveled the road of adoption for connected health for two decades, he has paid attention to the major sign posts -- defining moments when the dialogue changes in such a way that the whole organizational strategy changes with it. More

Until recently, technology-enabled efforts to improve population health relied heavily on the use of claims data alone. While there is evidence this approach has merit, there is also a new opportunity to take these efforts to the next level. More

Some pundits have suggested that ONC step aside and return all aspects of health IT policy and technology to the private sector. Others have suggested top-down command and control, including centralized governance to ensure interoperability. More

Hospitals and physician practices have been slow to adopt online platforms that allow them to connect with patients at home or on their mobile devices. However, patients will increasingly demand online connections with their providers. More